The rocks quarried in the neighboring Rutki and Ligota Tułowicka deposits (vicinity of Niemodlin) represent a single petrographic variety of basalt, i.e. nephelinite. The presence of nepheline (the mineral belonging to the group of feldspathoids) that forms the light-colored component of the groundmass is the characteristic feature of these rocks. Nepheline is accompanied by fine crystals of pyroxene and, occasionally, magnetite. Distinctly larger pyroxene and olivine phenocrysts are dispersed within the groundmass. Neither minerals of the groundmass nor the phenocrysts of the pyroxenes reveal any signs of chemical weathering. However, such alterations are clearly visible in the phenocrysts of olivine. The basalt raw materials of both deposits are utilized mainly for the production of various assortments of crushed road aggregates and as components of concretes. These applications require the aggregates with the grain sizes >2 mm. There is also a possibility to utilize coarse-grained basalt aggregates for the manufacturing of rock wool. This is due to a favorable property of the rocks from Rutki and Ligota Tułowicka that is their relatively low content of magnetite resulting in the low capability of the molten basalt to crystallize. The chemical weathering of the olivine phenocrysts have proceeded toward the formation of clay minerals, among which those of the smectite group prevail. Their elevated quantities occur in the finest aggregate assortment, i.e. 0–0.85 mm. The fineness of this grain fraction and its elevated quantity of clay minerals are two favorable features to utilize this part of the basalt aggregate by the heavy clay industry as an additive improving the physico-mechanical parameters and providing the required red color of ceramic products..

In contrast to the western part of the Lower Silesia, information about the basalt-derived weathering crusts occurring in the Opole region is rather limited. However, in 2018, significant volumes of such regolith (about 20,000 m3) were discovered during development works in the NW part of the Rutki Quarry near Niemodlin. This weathering crust is rich in clay minerals and represents a smectite- kaolinite mixture with some halloysite, the latter being a poorly ordered member of the kaolinite group. The minerals of the smectite group contain in their interlayer spaces bivalent cations (calcium and magnesium), which is the most often case in the nature. The mineral composition of the regolith mass is supplemented by iron-containing phases, i.e. goethite and magnetite, and traces of phosphate mineral – crandallite. A significant amount of clay minerals, particularly those belonging to the smectite group and halloysite, results in high value of the specific surface area (up to 100 m2/g) of the studied crust. Such favorable property of the crust makes it a promising sorptive raw material that can be applied, even in an unprocessed form, for waterproofing. It must be emphasized that the sorption properties of basalt weathering crusts were noticed some centuries ago in the western part of Lower Silesia, where medicine called terra sigillata was produced from them. Moreover, the crust from Rutki was also used in the XIXth century, in a ceramic manufacture located in nearby Tułowice, where the so-called “Silesian black porcelain” was produced.

Archaeological excavations conducted recently in Kalisz brought about two groups of Jagiellonian pennies. One is a small hoard of less than twenty coins of Vladislaus Jagiełło, found near the St. Joseph Sanctuary. The other comprises 37 coins found separately in archaeological excavations at early mediaeval settlement known as Stare Miasto (Old Town), adjacent to the hillfort at Zawodzie.